


thorns and roses

by chanyeollie



Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Drinking, Established Relationship, F/F, M/M, Partying, near has a secret crush on gevanni, this is so gay im crying, what a cutie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-06-30
Packaged: 2018-04-07 01:03:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4243533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanyeollie/pseuds/chanyeollie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were like two different parts of the flower. He's the petals, and he's the thorns. When joined together, they bring out the best of each other, making the flower a beautiful rose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	thorns and roses

There are many types of flowers in this world. 

Some flowers are very common, such as the sunflower and dandelion. Other flowers aren't even discovered yet. Flowers are beautiful, unique and they smell nice. They give a happy warm feeling to a person or a room. They're fun to grow and take care of, too. Flowers can be used for many things, which is why Matt loves them. He loves selling them to a happy customer, their smile makes him happy. 

Mail Jeevas is what you could call a pretty sociable guy. He goes by the nickname 'Matt' which was given to him at an orphanage he used to go to as a child. Girls often come to the shop because he's 'hot' or 'cute' to teenage girls. Which isn't a bad thing because it attracts many customers. Although Matt doesn't enjoy making a girl cry by rejecting her confession. It's not like he wants to reject girls and make them cry. Girls should be treasured, treated nicely and pampered like a princess. Matt thinks the same goes for guys too. Matt likes all sorts of people, which is why he's so popular. 

It didn't matter what they looked like, who they dated or how they spoke. If they were nice to Matt and the peopled he cares about, he'll be nice to them in return. Even if they were mean to Matt, he just brushed it off. He was very laid back about that sort of thing. If someone wanted to use him as a punching bag to get their anger out, he would let them. If it made them feel better, Matt didn't mind. His best friend Misa Amane said he was risky, but he didn't mind.

Misa Amane has a part-time job as a model. She goes to the same college as Matt and they sat next to each other. They instantly clicked and became best friends. She cares deeply for Matt, risking everything for him. Whenever Matt got dumped, Misa was always there for him. She's popular as well, even more so than Matt was. She's gorgeous and not to mention she's a popular model. She's also very kind, which made her even more popular. Even so, she always came to visit Matt and hang out with him whenever she could.

Near was a short albino kid he shared a house with. He was extremely smart and was at the top of all his classes. He was also Matt's best friend. They grew up in the same orphanage together. Near always tutors him and helps him with his homework. He was basically the whole reason Matt wasn't failing. Near always looks out for him too. Despite his size he has great strength. He can lift Matt up without breaking a single sweat. Near was a pretty weird guy but that's probably why Matt likes him.

Matt's life was great. He had friends, a good job, he went to college and he even had his own house. No matter what rough path was awaiting for Mail Jeevas, he knew he could get through it. He's strong and he won't back down to anything. He'll face his own fears, he'll get passed all the troubles in his life. There are things he wants to do and he won't give up just yet. So that's why no matter what happens, Matt will get through it.

That was before someone came into his life and changed everything. They changed Matt's world, who he was. But Matt changed them too, bit by bit, he turned the dying flower into a beautiful rose. 

\--- 

"Uhhg, so tired..." Matt said as he yawned, stretching his arms out. Near sighed softly as he placed a box full of bouquet decorators on the counter. He twirled a strand of hair as he turned to Matt, "And who's fault is that?" he said in a monotone voice, his dark eyes meeting with Matt's green ones. Matt laughed softly as he scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. It was totally worth it. I beat that game in like, four hours. That's gotta be a record," he grinned as Near rolled his eyes. "This better not effect your work or I'll put you on nightshift." He said, walking away. Matt groaned as he waved a hand to him. 

Walking towards the counter, he picked up one box and brought it over to a table. Matt didn't really understand why there were tables in here at first. It was a flower shop after all, not a restaurant. But as time passed, Matt realized that the tables were there so people could just relax around the flowers. Some people came to study, drink their coffee, chat with their friends, do their homework and all sorts of things. Flowers had this soothing effect on people.

Matt opened up the box as he groaned for the second time today, "Really man? I have to take all of this shit out? Damn, this is gonna take me seven years." He ran a hand through his hair as he stood up. He might as well get the other box while he's at it. Plus it's taking up room on the counter as well. As he walked back to the counter and grabbed another box, the front doors swung open. The bell on the top of the door rang and Matt looked over at the door to see who it was.

His jaw dropped.

A man with long blonde hair walked in. He had tattoos all up his arms and he even had one on his neck. He had piercings all along his ears, one on his eyebrow and even his nose. He was also well built too, Matt noticed that because of the tight black tee-shirt the man was wearing. He wore cut jeans too along with black leather boots. The man looked over and made eye contact with Matt, smiling softly at him. Matt swore his heart stopped.

"Can I draw here?" He spoke in a thick, German accent and it made Matt want to sink in the ground and melt. Matt blushed a bit and snapped out of his dream-like state, "O-Of course!" He dropped the box off next to the opened one and the man chuckled quietly as he walked over to a table, "Thanks." Matt unloaded the boxes, which didn't take as long as he thought it would. He stood up, piling the boxes on top of each other and walking back to the counter with them. The blonde man was still there, but he was sitting at a table. His face looked very concentrated as he drew on his sketchpad. He stuck his tongue out from time to time and it made Matt want to laugh. It was really cute.

The man had stopped drawing for a moment and tapped his pencil on his sketchpad. He then looked over at Matt, "Is the albino one here?" Matt jumped a bit at his voice and he shook his head, "Ah, yeah, he's in the back doin' whoever the hell knows what," he laughed softly and looked down at the ground at all the flowers. The man grinned a little as he stood up, pushing himself away from the chair. He walked over to the counter and leaned into Matt's face, "Haven't seen you here. You new?" Matt jumped back, blushing a bit as he did, "Uh, yeah! I recently started working here last week. I used to work at a convenience store around here," he said, trying to regain his cool again.

The man pulled away from Matt and tapped a finger on his chin. He then raised his finger, "Oh yeah! Your that guy who juggled those oranges and got yelled at," he said smirking. Matt snorted and stuck his tongue out, "M'pretty fuckin' talented aren't I?" The man shook his head as he playfully rolled his eyes, "Oh you bet," The man squinted as he leaned in closer to Matt. Matt blinked, looking at him, "Uh." The man smirked a little, "Matt." Matt's eyes widened as he gasped, "Woah! How did you know that was my name!? Are you a psychic?" The man laughed, his shoulder shaking as he did. Matt furrowed his brows confused, "Did I say somethin' funny?" Pointing to his work apron he said, "Your nametag's on there."

Matt was such an idiot.

"Shit! Oh my god, can you pretend that I never said that?" The man tilted his head to the side and looked to the side, "I dunno Matt. I probably won't ever forget about that," he said grinning evilly as he rested his arms onto the counter. Matt groaned as he buried his face in his hands, "Fuuuuck. How uncool of me. Don't worry man, I'm the coolest person ever. That was just a minor flaw." He took his hands away from his face as he looked at him, "What's your name anyways?" Grinning he poked Matt in the nose, "Mello." Matt blinked, touching his nose afterwards, "Mello? Heh, pretty weird." Mello snorted as he spun around, heading back to the table, "It's a nickname." Matt nodded, making an 'oooh' sound. 

Mello picked up his sketchbook as he pushed in his chair. He then turned to Matt, "My shop's across from this place. I always come here to draw, it's soothing here for some reason," he paused as he ran a hand through his hair, "I'll see you again, right?" He said, grinning at Matt. Matt blinked, nodding his head violently, "Yeah man, definitely!" Mello let out a short laugh as he walked out the door. "You'll come to visit, right?" He shouted over his shoulder, looking back at Matt one more time before he walked back into his shop. 

It was then when Matt realized that it wasn't a question, it was an invitation. 

\--- 

As soon as Matt's shift was over, he texted Misa right away. 

This was probably the biggest news he's had in awhile. A cute boy was talking to him! Not only cute, hot too! And he sounded totally interested in him! This was honestly the greatest thing that happened to Matt this week. And that's saying a lot because earlier in the week he found a twenty dollar bill on the ground and he got to play with cats at the local animal shelter. 

To: matty 

From: misa 

omg!!!!!!! matt do u kno what tht means?!?!?!?! he's like totally into u!!!! come to my place ASAP!!!!!! ♥ lov u 

Matt laughed a little as he shoved his phone back into his pocket, trotting off to Misa's house. On the way he almost tripped a few times but he honestly couldn't help it. He was so excited he couldn't even hold it in. He hasn't gone out with anything since his last girlfriend. Sure girls have confessed to him, but these girls are only teenagers. Going out with them would just cause problems for their futures and lives. Matt didn't want to do that to them.

When he arrived at Misa's house he didn't even need to knock. She was waiting by the door, her frilly black dress flowing in the wind. Her hair was in two cute buns and she had cat sunglasses on. She wore a dark red lipstick and black nail polish, along with tons of bracelets, rings and a few necklaces with a choker. She looked a bit taller with her high heeled zip up boots on but in reality she was extremely tiny. 

"Matty!" the blonde squealed as she wrapped her tiny arms around him. She quickly pulled away before he could hug back and took his hand and lead him inside. Misa lived in a mansion on the block which was a street from Matt's shitty apartment so he walked to her house and slept over all the time. Him and Misa did practically everything together. Because of that everyone would say that they were dating, or an old married couple. Maybe it was because they were so close, they could never go out with each other. They felt like brother and sister so it would be weird to them. Sure, Misa thought Matt was very attractive and Matt thought Misa was also very attractive. That was as far as they would go, though. Anything beyond friendship wasn't something they both enjoyed. 

They went upstairs to Misa's room and Misa shut the door behind her. Matt sat on a fluffy pink chair as he exhaled. It felt really good to relax. He was busting his ass from work today, which sounded weird because he worked at a flower shop. Misa sat on the chair in front of him and clapped her hands together. "So? What was he like? What did he look like? Sound like? Tell me everything!" she insisted. Matt bit his bottom lip and grinned, "Oh damn Misa, where do I begin?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "He's fucking gorgeous. Probably the most beautiful man I've ever seen. He has long blonde hair, blue eyes and on top of that he has tattoos all over his muscular arms." Matt laughed into his hands, suddenly embarrassed. "He's a tattoo artist, he works right across the flower shop. Oh my god Misa, everything about this man is perfect. He has a German accent Misa. It's the hottest thing ever." 

Misa squealed quietly and got up out of her chair to walk over to Matt. She grasped his hands into hers, "Do you know what this means?" Matt shook his head. "Your totally in love with him! We have to get you two together!" she exclaimed. Matt blinked and blushed a bit, "Well, love may be exaggerating it a bit..." he muttered softly. Misa shook her head, persistent. "No way! Did you hear yourself when you were talking about him? You were shaking too! I bet your heart was beating out of your chest!" She wasn't wrong on that one. Matt was shaky and his heart wouldn't calm down. But was that what love was? He was just describing Mello, nothing big. Or was it that he was so in love with him even just saying little things about him made his heart ache? 

He exhaled a breath and looked at Misa in the eyes, "I want him, Misa. I want him so fucking bad. I just met him today and I don't really understand what this is but..." he trailed off. But what? Was this something stupid like love at first sight? That was only in movies and Misa's brain. There was no way that something like that was actually real. Even so, Matt wanted to take a chance. "I'll do anything to get close to him!" Matt confessed, squeezing Misa's hands. Misa's eyes beamed at him as she smiled wide, "Yay! Don't worry Matty, I will help you with everything I have!" Matt smiled back at her as she let go of his hands and twirled around. "Alright! First things first! We have to find someone who's close to him. Maybe someone who works there as well?" Matt leaned back on the chair and rubbed his chin sarcastically. He then sighed and shrugged, "I only know that he works there. I do know his shops name though." Misa got out her laptop and walked over to Matt, sitting on his lap. He put her chin on her shoulder as he looked at the screen. 

Misa pulled back from the laptop so the redhead could have access to the keyboard. "If you type up the store name maybe we can find the employees who work there too!" Matt grinned at Misa as he began to type, "Your so smart, yanno that?" Misa flipped her hair as she giggled afterwards. She clicked the first link that popped up and began to search the entire website. On the sidebar there was a link that read 'employee contact information.' It could possibly be there if someone wanted a specific person to tattoo them or if they had any questions. Matt wasn't really sure how tattoo stuff worked. "Hey what was his name again?" Misa asked as she turned her head around to face Matt. "Uh, Mello. But he said it was a nickname so I don't think that's his real name." Misa made a surprised sound. "He didn't even tell you his real name!? Oh, sweetie, I'm going to have a firm talking with this man!" Matt laughed as Misa scrolled through the employee names. There weren't many, maybe about five or seven. 

She clicked each link, one by one but so far none of them looked like Mello. "Oooh..." Matt perked his head up from Misa's back, "Didya find him?" Misa shook her head, "No, but I found this really pretty lady. Halle Bullock, age twenty-nine. Hey! She's only two years older than me!" Matt grinned, "You gotta crush on her?" he teased. Misa puffed out her cheeks, "I only said she was pretty!" she said as she read all of Halle's information. Matt just laughed and playfully rolled his eyes. She clicked out of her link and clicked the next link and gasped. "Matty! I found him!" Matt lifted his head up from the crook of Misa's neck once again and looked at the screen. 

Even on the computer Mello looked beautiful. Misa squealed as she high-fived Matt. "Age twenty-four. Hey, that's a year older than you!" Matt raised his brows, interested. Misa continued, "He's been working for over three years now and has plenty of experience. He still has a lot to learn but he is very skilled and makes sure his clients are never in any pain. He takes a long time numbing them, making sure they don't feel as much pain as possible." Matt snorted, "His looks are really deceiving but deep down inside he's a really good guy, huh? I like that." Misa nodded and grinned, holding up a thumbs up. "Ah, but he doesn't have a name..." Matt looked at her, "Hm?" Misa shook her head, "Nothing!" 

Once they were done with exploring the website Misa put her laptop away and looked over at Matt. "Wanna go out to eat tonight?" she asked, taking the buns out of her hair. Matt yawned as he racked a hand through his red locks, "Mmm sure. Where do ya wanna go? I'll pay this time." Misa tapped her chin as she reapplied her makeup, "Let's go to that cute small restaurant down the street!" Matt shot her a gun pose and winked, "You got it, princess." Misa giggled as she let her hair fall down. It was all poufy from it being in buns all day and poufy really didn't suite her. She brushed her hair down the best she could and put it up into a ponytail. Matt walked out of her bathroom and yawned again, stretching up to crack his arms. Misa grabbed her purse and Matt grabbed his phone. "You ready?" Misa nodded cheerfully, "Mhm!" Matt smiled as they both walked out of her room, down her spiral stairs. 

Matt and Misa would always slide down the stairs but they stopped once Matt flew off and broke his arm. Matt thought it was totally worth it though, much to Misa's objections and crying. Once they went outside Misa linked arms with Matt as they walked down to the restaurant. The cool night breeze felt nice on Matt's skin, he closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled. The stars were all huddled together and the moon was partly showing. Tonight was a good night. 

When they walked in they looked around to find a table. Unlike most restaurants, you could just come in and find your own seats. Unless it was packed but that was almost never the case. They looked around to find a table when suddenly Matt felt a tug at his arm. "Matty! There he is!" she whispered and turned Matt around so he was facing a table. Matt nearly stopped breathing. Sitting at a table in a corner near a window was Mello, looking down at what seemed to be a sketchbook. There was still a menu next to him so he probably didn't order yet, which was the perfect opportunity to politely ask him to let Misa and Matt join him. But what if he wanted to be alone? What if he said no? He didn't really know Matt that much and he didn't know Misa at all so it would make him feel uncomfortable and awkward. 

Before Matt had any say in it, Misa was pulling him over to the table Mello was at. Misa stood in front of him and she gave him a blinding smile, "Hello! Matt and I were wondering if we could join you? It's perfectly alright if you wish to be alone, we can just go to a different table!" Matt was impressed. Misa was smarter than she lead on. Mello looked up from his sketchbook and closed it. "I don't mind at all. Please, have a seat," he insisted with a smile. Misa's eyes widened at his thick accent and turned to Matt. Matt grinned at her and she quickly sat on the other side of Mello, Matt following behind her. 

Mello brushed locks of his hair behind his ear as he looked out the window. Matt was mesmerized by his beauty and that's when he realized he was so fucking gay. Misa folded her arms, setting her purse next to her. "I'm sorry to intrude like this." Mello looked over at her and gave her a small smile, "Oh it's no problem. It's kind of lame eating alone isn't it?" he said as he laughed softly. Misa shook her head, "Absolutely not! I eat alone by myself at cafe's sometimes! There's nothing wrong with some alone time," she said as she smiled back at him. After a few minutes of silence Matt felt something kick him from under the table. "Hey flower boy, you haven't spoken a single word this whole time. You okay?" Mello spoke sympathetically and Matt snapped out of his daze. "Oh shit-- Uh sorry, dude! I was just thinkin' about stuff." Mello made a 'hmm' sound and he brought his hand up to his mouth. 

The waitress walked over to them and took their orders, coming back with all of their drinks. She said the food was going to take a bit but it wasn't going to be too long. Misa sipped her strawberry smoothie and she ate the cherry that came with it. Matt took his cherry out of his soda and handed it to Misa and she happily accepted it. Mello took a sip of his soda and raised a brow. He made the 'hmm' sound again and Matt looked over at him, "Wassup?" 

"Are you two dating?" 

Misa choked on her cherry and Matt frantically had to pat her on the back. Once she wasn't practically gasping for air Matt shook his hands. "No, no, no, we're just really close friends, honest!" Misa nodded, "Yes! We're just friends nothing more! I promise you!" She insisted. Mello leaned back and took a look at them. 

Mello let out a quiet laugh and shook his head, "Sorry, sorry. It's okay, my best friend is also female and we get the same thing all the time. I just assumed you two were because you suite each other." Mello spoke as he took another drink of his soda. Matt sighed in relief and Misa mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to him. Matt shook his head in protest. None of this was Misa's fault, a lot of people make that assumption of them. But for some unknown reason, when Mello thought that Matt's chest felt tight. 

Taking another sip of his soda Mello swirled the glass around. "Are you Misa Amane? The popular model?" he asked. Misa took her lips away from her straw and smiled at him. "I sure am!" Mello chuckled a bit as he put his glass down. "I thought it was you. I've seen you around campus with Matt." Matt's eyes widened a bit as he played with the chain on his belt loop, "You've seen me--us around campus? Like, you go to the same college as us?" Mello gave him a toothy grin and winked at him. "Bulls-eye." Misa brought her painted nails up to her face and gasped. "How come we've never seen you!?" Mello shrugged, "I only have two classes with you. Plus you two are always in the back. I'm in the front." The blonde and redhead both nodded. 

It was rather strange that they had never seen Mello before. Although Matt had just met him today so that was probably why. He didn't really pay attention to his surroundings in class. "That's sweet man. You gotta hook us up sometime." Matt calmly said as Misa smiled with her teeth and nodded. "I don't see why not. As long as it won't be a bother." Misa shook her head, "Not at all! I would love to get to know you better and so would Matt." she insisted. "Ah, I do have a friend that's always with me too. She's in all of my classes, do you mind if she tags along?" Taking another drink of his soda Matt shook a hand, "Not at all. She's more than welcome." Mello smiled at him and it made Matt want to kiss him but he wasn't going to ruin everything like that. 

"Actually she was supposed to come here today but it looks like her clients tattoo is taking longer than usual." Mello spoke as he looked out the window. Misa twirled her straw, "That's a shame. I would've loved to meet her!" Mello looked over at her and grinned, "Oh she would have loved to meet you, too. She's a big fan of you. She always tells me how bad she wants to give you a tattoo." Misa blinked and chewed on her bottom lip. Mello's phone vibrated and he opened it. Once he was done scrolling through his messages he looked up at Misa. "Don't tell her I told you that, though." he said with a teasing tone. She raised a brow, "Eh? She's not here though." Mello just laughed and folded his arms at the table, nudging Matt's foot. "Your ignoring me again. I feel hurt." Matt quickly looked up from his phone and laughed nervously, "A-Ah, sorry man! I'm just tired that's all." He put his phone away and nudged Mello's foot by accident when moving to get to his pockets. 

That was only when he realized that it wasn't Mello's foot or leg he nudged, it was in between his legs. Mello's eyes widened as he looked down. Matt quickly yanked his foot away and shook his hands, "Wait! I swear I didn't mean to do that on purpose! I'm sorry!" Misa looked awfully confused so she just turned to Mello. He smirked at him, and put his elbows up on the table. "So eager, Matt. At least you bought me dinner before you tried to make a move on me." Misa whipped her head around to face Matt. "What just happened in like, five seconds!?" she excitedly asked. Matt just laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. As they began to talk about their daily lives the waitress came back with all of their food. They began to indulge themselves in their food. None of them had eaten in quite a while so they were all extremely hungry. 

When Misa was about to take her third bite of her salad, her spoon dropped out of her hand. Matt's french-fries fell out of his mouth and Mello sighed heavily. "Sorry I'm late Mello. My client had a huge order and I couldn't rush it. Oh- You even got food without me?" Mello patted a seat next to him and slid his plate in the middle. "You can share my food." The tall woman took her coat off and took a seat next to him. 

She had long light blonde hair with choppy forehead bangs. She wore red lipstick and she had tons of tattoos like Mello did. She wore a tight turtleneck crop top shirt and high-waisted black jeans along with red flats. She had piercings all along her ear like Mello did and she had a piercing on her lip and one on the side of her nose. She was absolutely stunning, Misa and Matt couldn't take their eyes off her. Well, mostly Misa. She leaned in to whisper to Matt, "That's Halle! The pretty lady from the tattoo website!" 

Halle took a sip of Mello's soda and stuck out her tongue, "Uhg, diet." When Misa saw her tongue piercing she nearly fainted. She took a bite of Mello's sandwich and turned to Misa and Matt. Her eyes widened at Misa, "Oh my god are you Misa Amane?" Misa quickly got out of her daze and nodded. "Y-Yes!" Halle clamped her hands over her mouth and she then bit her bottom lip, smiling. "Your even more beautiful in person," she complimented. Misa got complimented all the time, but when this woman said she was beautiful her face turned completely red. "Thank you so much! Your quite beautiful yourself!" Halle's eyes widened and she shook a hand, "Oh stop it, you," she laughed softly. Misa smiled at her and they began to talk about tattoos and beauty products. Which left Matt and Mello to just stare at each other. The more Matt looked at Mello, the more he realized how beautiful he was. 

He pulled off the whole, bad boy look. All of his tattoos and piercings looked really good on him. He had tattoos all up his arms and he could see some on his chest too. Sometimes Mello would play with the piercings on his ears or his septum when he looked out the window. The moment he turned to Matt, he would quickly look at his phone. Mello didn't suspect a single thing until the fourth time. "Is there something on my face?" Mello asked. Matt shook his head and put his phone down. "No its just-" he stopped himself. What was he even going to say to him? That he was staring at him? That would be way too creepy and weird. 

He didn't have much time to think so he just winged it. "Your tattoos. How, uh, how many do you have?" That was probably a very stupid question but it was all he could think of. He didn't want to say something unbelievable or embarrassing. Mello brought his hand up to his face. "Hmm. Well, I have them all along my arms, some on my chest, one on my neck, a couple on my legs, some on my hands and a few near my pelvis." He said, winking at the last part. Matt gulped hard. He really did have a lot of tattoos. Matt could only imagine how many piercings he had. 

After an hour had passed everyone ate their food and drank all of their drinks. Which meant it was time to leave. It was getting pretty late and Matt had school and work tomorrow. It's not like he didn't stay up late before, though. Halle and Misa had to go to the bathroom really quick which gave Matt and Mello more alone time. Matt put his jacket on and looked outside the window. "Hey dude, how did you get here? Did you walk or take a car or somethin'?" he asked, peeking out the window some more. Mello smirked, "I took my bike." Matt froze and slowly pulled himself away from the window. He turned to Mello, his eyes full of excitement. "You have a bike? As in a motorcycle?" Mello gave him a nod. 

Matt gave him a toothy grin. "Aw man, that's so rad! I've always wanted one but I dunno how to ride one. Plus I don't got a license." Mello twirled his keys on his finger and raised his brows at Matt. "Wanna ride?" Matt's eyes practically sparkled and leaned into Mello's face. "Can I!?" Mello laughed softly and ran a hand through his hair. "Sure. I don't have an extra helmet, though. If that's okay with you. And if it's okay with Amane." Matt fist pumped the air, he couldn't believe he was finally going to ride on a motorcycle. He texted Misa, saying that he was leaving with Mello and if she was okay with it. Not even a minute later she texted back saying it was fine and that he should tell her everything that happened. 

As they walked outside Mello dug in the bag on his motorcycle. Inside was a pair of white and orange goggles. He tossed them to Matt. "The wind is pretty fuckin' wicked. If you use these the wind won't get in your eyes." Matt began to put the goggles over his eyes. "Thanks." Mello slid his gloves on and walked over to Matt. "Nah, it won't stay on that way. You gotta put it tighter." He turned Matt around, adjusting the back strap on his goggles. When he was done tightening it he turned Matt around and tilted his face up with his index finer. He grinned, "You look really good in these. They suit you." 

It was a good thing Matt had these goggles on and it was dark because his face turned completely red. Mello started up his bike and turned to Matt, "To get on just grab onto my shoulders and swing your right leg around. Then all you have to do is hold onto me and lean when I do." Matt nodded and Mello gave him once last grin before he put his helmet on, swinging onto the motorcycle. Matt should have guessed he had a bike. Although that was judging a book by it's cover and Matt hated that. 

He walked over to the side of his bike and did as Mello told him to. He gripped onto his shoulders, swung his right leg around and wrapped his arms around his waist. Mello's back was warm. He smelled nice too, he must've used cologne before he came here. Matt didn't want to seem too clingy or weird so he leaned back as far as he could and didn't hold on that tightly. He didn't even wrap his hands fully around him which was probably something very stupid to do. When Mello finally started riding onto the road, Matt nearly flew off and that scared him half to death. Out of reflex he wrapped his arms around his stomach and pressed up against Mello's back. Snapping back to reality he pulled away but he was stopped by Mello's hand cupping on top of his. 

Matt didn't know if that was smart of him to do, but it made his heart go a mile a minute. Matt kept his arms wrapped around Mello and he sighed in relief when he saw Mello's hands on both handles again. Mello was right when he said the wind was strong on a bike. Matt's hair was going everywhere and his shirt was flying up. Although, because of the goggles Mello had given him he could see perfectly clear. He had to thank him later. 

He hoped Misa got home safely. She probably went with Halle so Matt didn't have anything to worry over. More importantly Matt didn't know if Mello knew where he lived. Did he tell him? He probably did and just doesn't remember. When Matt's embarrassed or excited he tends to forget things easily. 

This whole situation was weird. The man he had just met today is giving him a ride on his motorcycle. Matt swore that Mello flirted with him earlier too. Was he always this flirty? Playing footsies with him under the table, calling him attractive, almost holding hands with him. Maybe it's because Matt hasn't been in a relationship for so long it feels like he's flirting with him. He also didn't know that much about him. He did just meet him today so he needs to get closer to him. Matt wants to know everything about this man. He was different from the people he's met. Although, his best friend was a model and his roommate was probably the smartest kid in the world. He hasn't really met 'normal' people. 

Mello swerved his bike to the right and pulled in to Matt's house. Matt grabbed onto Mello's shoulders and swung his leg over, wobbling a bit as he did. Mello grabbed his hand to help him keep his balance and Matt just smiled. Mello's hands were warm even though he had gloves on. As Mello was about to ride away, Matt called out to him. "We'll meet again, right?" Grinning through his helmet Mello shot a gun hand motion at Matt, riding away, leaving him in complete awe. 

The cool air hit his face as Mello drove away, the wind gushing his hair out of his eyes. He didn't know why but his body wouldn't move. It was as if he waited here long enough Mello would return to him again. Mello didn't answer his question, did that mean no? He said that he could visit anytime he wanted and that he was going to visit him. Plus Misa and Halle hit it off too so the two of them were bound to meet again somehow. At least that's what Matt had hoped. 

Tearing his mind away from his thoughts, he began to walk to his house. The lights were still on so Near must be awake. Or he just fell asleep and forgot to turn the lights off. As he walked in he saw Near curled up in a ball on the end of the couch. He had a blanket wrapped around him and he was watching something on TV. There were zombies on the screen with people trying to kill them. "Welcome home, Matt." Near greeted, turning his gaze to Matt. Matt gave him a small smile, "Yo." He hung up his coat and plopped down next to Near making the couch squeak. Near paused what he was watching and twirled a strand of his hair, "Who were you out with? Amane again?" Matt nodded, "Yeah. And this chick and dude from the tattoo shop across from us. They're so cool Near you should have been th-" 

"Don't get close to Mello." 

Matt blinked, confused. "Huh? What do you mean? He's a really cool guy, he even gave me a ride on his motorcycle." Near's eyes widened and he clutched his head. He looked paler than he normally did and he broke in a cold sweat. "I was too late..." he trailed off, his hands shaking. Matt sat closer to him, "What's so wrong about him?" Near tore his hands away from his face and grabbed Matt's shoulders. His eyes that were usually emotionless were full of sorrow, anger and regret. He squeezed Matt's shoulders as he spoke, his voice wavering a bit. "That man, is dangerous." Matt gulped hard and leaned away from Near a bit. "Don't ever talk to him again. If you get close to him he's going to make your life a living hell. He'll take your innocence and crush it." Matt didn't understand at all. The moment he brought up the word tattoo Near's face warped and he actually showed emotion. Mello? Dangerous? Sure he looked like a douche bag but he was a good guy on the inside. How did Near know all of this anyways? Matt was confused as hell, he didn't know what Near was talking about. 

He licked his chapped lips, "Near, is Mello your ex?" Near's eyes widened and he took his hands off Matt's shoulders. He exhaled slowly and didn't meet Matt's eyes. "Yes." This all made sense now. How could Matt be so stupid? He honestly should have seen this coming. "I get it." Near looked back at him and sighed in relief. "Your jealous because you still have feelings for him and want him back." Matt spat out harshly. Near furrowed his brows, "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't go out with that monster if he were the last man on earth. Matt, please just listen to m-" Matt stood up and interrupted him, "Fuck you! I can date whoever I want and I don't even care if he's your ex! I really like Mello and your not going to stop me just because your jealous because he likes me now!" He clicked his tongue and stormed upstairs. 

Near clenched his fists and raised his voice, "You think he actually likes you? That's all part of his plan to get into your head!" Matt snarled and slammed his door. A picture downstairs fell off the wall and Near sighed heavily. "I can't let the same thing happen again. Not to him." Near slid down the wall, shutting his eyes. He should have been there when Mello walked in the doors. He shouldn't have hired Matt to work there. Now he knew where he and Matt lived, he probably knows his phone number too. There's no telling what the blonde could be planning. 

Throwing himself on his bed Matt ripped his shirt and pants off and made an angry grunt. He shimmied under his covers, looking back at his alarm clock. He rolled over and his head hit something hard. He got out of bed to turn the light on and felt around his face. He still had on the goggles Mello had given him. He frowned as he looked into the mirror, slowly taking them off. He had to give them back to him somehow. He didn't even know if he was going to see him again. Sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time today he turned off the light and got into bed. 

The whole time Matt couldn't stop thinking about what Near had said. He's never seen him have any emotion, let alone him be that serious. He looked terrified too. Was Mello that bad? It could be just Near trying to get Matt away from him. He must really like Mello. Matt was a bit jealous that Near knew him longer, though. He still wondered if Near was serious about Mello being dangerous. Near looked like he was about to cry. He didn't know what to believe anymore. 

Matt tossed and turned all night long, not getting any sleep. But this time, it wasn't from video games.


End file.
